


Cutting It Close

by lulu42



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 11:46:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15630054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulu42/pseuds/lulu42
Summary: Kakashi is a master of many jutsus and hairstyles





	Cutting It Close

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really planning on posting much work here. This is more or less a post to confirm that I am the lulu42 and not an imposter. Also, people seem to really like this fic, so I'm going to open the tumblr gate and release this into the field of AO3.

The mission assigned by Tsunade was easy enough.  Deliver a scroll to a local official whose daughter was being targeted. Wait twenty-four hours to see if the employee was apprehended.  If not, Kakashi and Sakura were to take actions to stop whatever plot on their own. Tsunade didn’t want to risk a possible kidnapping of a child and extortion.

In the past six months, Sakura rarely spent any time with Kakashi.  He never went out of his way to avoid her, but he often departed shortly after she arrived. Or he shared a handful of sentences with her on the street before escaping on an imaginary errand.  Sakura would have been offended if it weren’t for Gai’s reassurance that Kakashi only pulled the same stunt to the people he was closest to. 

The weather was perfect, and if it weren’t for the time-sensitive nature of their mission, Sakura might have persuaded Kakashi to ease up on his speed.   But the mission came first, and they rarely spoke as they made their way to the official's house. It was a relief to find that Amano Geta’s family was still safe when they arrived.

Kakashi and Sakura waited for their allotted twenty-four hours as the officials investigated. The perpetrator was a disgruntled former employee by the name of Kawata Atsushi.  He had gone underground; his former landlord stated Kawata had left no forwarding information. Kakashi departed to track down the Kawata while Sakura stayed close to Amano’s family.  

It was a good thing too because it turned out that Kawata had hired mission nin, one that had a penchant for weapons.  Amano’s security was good, but this nin specialized in being smart and fast.

Sakura winced as she fell into the razor wire trap the nin had set up after dodging a hail of shuriken.  Tsunade had told her to dodge until her toes had all but fallen out, but this was ridiculous. Sakura was a brawler, and the weapons master was doing their best to keep a sizable distance away.  It was frustrating, and after avoiding the fifth paper bomb trap, Sakura was at her wit's end. She was definitely going to have a chat with TenTen when she returned to Konoha.

Thankfully, Sakura had coaxed the missing-nin far enough away from home to avoid civilian casualties. She jumped into the air, twisting her body so a burst of chakra spiraled out from her torso.  The force caused the weapons flying towards her to shatter. 

Her foot landed with a satisfying crack as the ground exploded around her. Sakura grunted as she went flying through the air, surprised by the intensity of the blast.  She raised an arm to cover her face as she went tumbling across the ground, only to cry out when a kunai lodged itself under her kneecap.

Sakura yanked out the weapon, grimacing when she saw yet another paper bomb.  She must have set off all the stupid traps with one kick. She didn’t even hit the ground very hard!  Sakura tried to stand, but the damaged the cartilage in her knee that couldn’t support her weight. Annoyed, she poured healing chakra into her injury even as she eyed her surroundings.  The missing nin was nowhere to be seen and if she didn’t see him in just a moment, she was going to double back to the house to protect Amano’s family. 

The barest hint of wind had Sakura throwing herself to the ground; she watched a sword pass inches away from her face.  She raised her good knee to her chest and kicked forward. Her foot made contact with the nin’s hand and he stumbled backward.  Sakura chucked the kunai that had been in her knee and hit him in the center of his throat. He flopped dead to the ground.

Sakura wiped the dirt coating her face, sighing in relief.  Kakashi would have never let her hear the end of it if she was still fighting when he returned.  She surveyed the area, wincing as she noticed all the scattered weapons. There would be quite a bit of cleanup before they would be able to leave.  She finished healing her knee then stood to her feet. Sakura plucked at the clumps of earth sticking to her shirt. Unraveling a scroll, she quickly sealed away the missing nin’s body before making her way back the home.

Kakashi arrived thirty minutes later, raising an eyebrow in her direction.  “Kawata has been apprehended. He gave me the name of the missing nin he hired, a weapon’s specialist from Waterfall.  But by the looks of the field outside, you already came across him.”

Sakura tapped the scroll on the table next to her.  “He’s right here. Is there any chance that he had a partner?”

Kakashi shook his head.  “Kawata stated that the nin worked alone and I don’t think he has enough money to hire two of the same caliber.  Now that Kawata is captured, any partners would have moved on since they can’t be paid.”

“I guess we should clean up the field.”

Kakashi hummed in agreement.  “Why don’t you go shower? I’ll take care of the cleanup.”

“That’s nice of you,” Sakura replied.  She narrowed her eyes. “You want the free weapons, don’t you?”

Kakashi chuckled.  “Ah, well, yes. I noticed a few things I would like to own out there.”  He cleared his throat and shooed her away. “It looks like you did all the hard work anyway.  Go shower. It won’t take me very long.”

Sakura tossed him the scroll with the dead nin and beelined towards her room.  She was ready to scrub away the dirt that coated her body. Moments later she was undressing, huffing when she saw a few clumps of dirt fall to the floor when she took off her bindings. She stood under the showerhead for an obscene amount of time before she began to scrub at her body.  

Sakura froze the moment she began to shampoo.  Something was wrong. She pulled at her hair, feeling the jagged ends that were far too short.  Horrified, she shrieked, tossing the shower curtain to the side so she could go to the mirror, not even pausing to wipe the soap off.  She turned her head to the side. Even with her hair full of shampoo, Sakura could a large chunk was missing, lopped off during the close call from earlier in the day.

Angry, she punched the mirror.  A clatter sounded from the other side of the way and Sakura turned to the door just as Kakashi barged in.

“Sakura! What’s—” His question died as he caught sight of her naked figure, still wet and soapy from her half-completed shower.  Sakura felt her face turn red as his eyes drifted down. 

Sakura chucked her toothbrush at him as the other hand tried to cover his view.  “Get out!” It hit Kakashi on his forehead protector, and he grunted as he left the bathroom.  This time she locked the bathroom door, mortified that he had barged in. For someone of his skill, a bathroom lock would do little to stop him, but it was the principal of the matter.  Kakashi had always been so respectful of her boundaries before.

Sakura scowled at the broken mirror.  She must have alarmed him when she broke it.  Giving one more unhappy tug to her scalp, she returned to her shower.  

Thirty minutes later she emerged from her room to find Kakashi waiting in the hallway with a small bag in his hand.  His eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

“What was that about?”  Sakura fidgeted with the scarf she had wrapped around her hair.

“Ahhh…” Kakashi rubbed the back of his head before turning to her.  He coughed. “I was waiting outside when I heard you scream. And then I heard something break so I thought you might be under attack.”  Even with his mask, Sakura could make out the unhappy expression on his face, as if he wasn’t satisfied with his own response. It made her feel the tiniest bit better.

“Why were you waiting in the hallway?”

“I thought you could use some help with your hair.”  He pointed to his own scalp. “After— _ ah _ — I realize now that you were unaware of your recent haircut.  I thought I might offer my services to balance it out.” 

Sakura gaped at him.  “ _ You _ ?”  The more she thought about it, the more amusing Kakashi’s statement became.  Soon she was laughing in her hand, doubled over to keep her chortles from echoing down the hall.

“It’s not that funny.  Stop it. Stop laughing.”  Kakashi sighed as he realized his request only set her into a new fit of giggles.  He went around her to enter the bedroom.

Wiping her eyes of tears, Sakura followed him in.  “You’ve had the same haircut the entire time I’ve known you.  You have to admit, the idea is pretty ridiculous.”

Kakashi withdrew a pair of scissors and a comb from the bag he was holding. “Sit,” he said as he pointed at the chair at the foot of the bed.  

Sakura eyed the pair of scissors.  “Are you sure you know what you are doing? Hairstyling isn’t a jutsu.”

“That’s true.  But Tsunade sent me on a six-month undercover mission at a beauty salon along Fire Country’s border a while back.  It was a good place to gather intel and provide backup to other missions needed emergency support. I did a mission every other day because I was in such a strategic location.”

That sounded like a mission from Tsunade.  “How the hell do you end up with that mission?  Did you make her mad?”

Kakashi winced.  “Ah, Tsunade-sama and I didn't see eye-to-eye at first, so that was her idea of getting me out of the way for a bit.  It worked out fine.” He smacked the scissors in the palm of his hand. “Now, do you want me to fix your hair or not?”

“Fine.”  Sakura withdrew the scarf as she settled gingerly in the chair.  “I guess it can’t get any worse.”

Kakashi hummed as parted her still-damp hair, his fingernails scraping along her scalp and sending goosebumps down her arm.  “He cut close to your scalp, Sakura, the best thing to do is to even it all out.” He moved around the chair to face her, placing his hands on either side of her head.  Sakura watched his eyes travel as he took in her face. One hand withdrew, while the other slid down her jaw as he tilted her face up. It was a bit unnerving to have his complete attention.  It was then, that Sakura realized Kakashi wasn’t wearing gloves. 

Sakura swallowed.  She suspected Kakashi had been very popular at the beauty salon.

“Your hair is already short, so it’s not like we can hide it.”  Kakashi began to part her hair with his comb. “It’s a good thing you have the face shape to pull this off.”

Sakura dug gripped the seat of her chair as the scissors began to snip.  “What the hell, Kakashi? How much are you cutting?”

“Half of it,” he replied, as he held Sakura’s head in place with his hands. “If you move, I’m going to end up cutting in the wrong spot and you might end up having to shave it all.”

“But I cut my hair a month ago!”  The heat had been too much for long hair; Sakura didn’t know how Hinata could stand it.

“I need you to trust me, Sakura.”  Kakashi placed his hand on her shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze.  His next words were low and close to her ear. “Can you do that?”

Sakura’s breath hitched in her throat.  “O-okay.”

“Good.  Tilt your head to the right.”  He brushed away some of the loose strands from her shoulders and pinned her hair back.  “Your other right.”

Sakura chewed at her lip as she heard the hair clippers turn on.  She was really doing this. She was actually letting Kakashi shave her head.  

_ God _ , it sounded like such a bad idea in her own head and she was going through with it.  

And Kakashi!  He was humming cheerfully behind her!  Sakura tried to think if she had ever heard him hum before in her life.  There was that one week last year when Kakashi was so doped up on morphine that he called her Junko.  Embarrassing, but he had never been a more cooperative patient.

The hair clippers stopped and he brushed her scalp again.  Sakura clenched her fists in her lap at the unfamiliar sensation.  There was no denying she was bald on half of her head. She hoped she didn't look stupid.

Kakashi released her clipped hair and took a step back.  “Almost done,” he said as he began to pluck at her scalp.  There was something familiar in the way he was moving his hands.

“Are you braiding my hair?”  

He hummed in affirmation.  “I think you’ll like it.” He placed a pin in her hair.  “There, all done. Since you broke the mirror in the guest room, you’ll have to find another one.  I’ll put these things away.”

Sakura gave him a quiet thanks, refusing to look at the pink hair covering the floor.  She was a grown woman, she was not going to cry over this.

She exited the room in search of the mirror in the hallway a few rooms down.  Instead, she ran into Amano Geta and his daughter, Fumiko. “Oh! Hello!” The official stared at her and Sakura resisted to urge hide.  Maybe she should have brought the scarf with her?

Fumiko gasped.  “Wow! I like your hair!  Did you really beat that shinobi all by yourself?”

Sakura felt her nerves go away at Fumiko’s enthusiasm.  “Yes, I did.” She turned to her father. “Is there something you needed from us?”

Amano gave a nervous smile.  “I was wondering if you were planning on staying the rest of the day or if you would be departing today.  Normally it is not an issue for you to stay, but my family was planning on departing for a trip in the morning.”

“Oh!  Um… We’ll be fine to leave once we collect our things.  It’s still early, so we can make half of our trip back home today.”

“Excellent.  I’ll have the cook prepare for something while you pack.  Thank the Hokage once more for her intervention on my family’s behalf.

Sakura gave a small bow and waved a goodbye to Fumiko, before turning around and making a beeline for the mirror.  The suspense was eating her alive. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the mirror and gasped.

Oh.

Sakura turned her head to the right to get a better view, hardly believing her eyes.  The product she had put on her hair gave it extra bounce, a nice contrast to the buzzcut on her left side.  Kakashi had shorn a pair of horizontal stripes, giving the look a little bit of extra interest. And the braid along the top of her hair where the two sides met gave it a nice feminine touch.  Sakura grinned as she took the look in. She looked like she was about to kick some ass. No wonder Amano looked so alarmed when she exited the room. 

“Do you like it?” Kakashi emerged from the room with his hands in his pockets.  

“Yes!” Sakura wasted no time in giving Kakashi a hug.  “If I saw someone with this haircut in Konoha I would be so jealous.  Thank you!”

Kakashi placed a hesitant hand on her lower back.  That’s when Sakura realized he wasn’t breathing normally and his heart was beating furiously in his chest.  Surprised by his reaction, Sakura drew back, surprised that her own heart rate had picked up as well. “I love it.  I love my hair. It looks so amazing,” she stammered.

“I’m told a good haircut brings out the inner you.  This is how I see you.” Kakashi raised a hand to her face, his fingertips brushing against her wavey curls before retreating once more.  He cleared his throat as he took a step back. “Ah, I need to clean up myself. I’ll meet you in the kitchen in thirty minutes.”

“Right.  Kitchen,” Sakura repeated dazedly as she noticed the way he was averting her gaze again.  She had a feeling that they had crossed some sort of line on this mission. Or maybe they hadn’t.  Maybe Kakashi had crossed that line months ago and Sakura was only catching up now. “I’ll see you then.”  

Sakura went inside the room to pack her things and to dump the mirror she had destroyed.  She raised a large shard to her face to stare at her new look once more.

Kakashi was right.

She _ was _ cool.  

 

[Haircut Fanart by meliss-cake](http://meliss-cake.tumblr.com/post/176544116163/from-cutting-it-close-by-itslulu42)


End file.
